When you create a custom widget in Tribe, you choose how your data is displayed. This article explains the six available display types and when each one is the right choice. Selecting the correct type makes data easier to read and act on — selecting the wrong one has the opposite effect.
List
Displays records one below the other in rows, similar to a spreadsheet. Each row is a record; each column shows a field value.
Best for:
Records that need to be acted on individually — tasks, open tickets, upcoming renewals
Overviews where the user needs to click through to individual records
Data where the number of items matters as much as their content
Examples: "My open tasks this week", "Customers without a recent activity", "Invoices overdue for payment"
Tiles
Displays counts grouped by a segmentation field, shown as numbered blocks.
Best for:
At-a-glance status distributions where the count per group is what matters
Seeing how many records fall into each category
Data with a limited number of meaningful segments (ideally 3–8)
Examples: "Forecast per phase", "Active customers by account manager", "Support tickets by priority"
Pie Chart
Displays the proportional distribution of records across segments as slices of a circle.
Best for:
Showing the relative share of each segment within a total
Data where the percentage split is more meaningful than the absolute count
A small number of segments (ideally 2–5)
Examples: "Revenue split by product group", "Opportunities by source", "Customers by industry"
Tip: Avoid pie charts if segments are roughly equal in size (hard to distinguish visually), or when there are more than five segments (too many slices to read clearly). In those cases, a bar chart or tiles are usually a better choice.
Bar Chart
Displays values as horizontal or vertical bars grouped by a segmentation field. Can show counts or summed values, such as total revenue per month.
Best for:
Comparing values across categories or over time
Showing trends, such as opportunities won per month
Data where the absolute value matters, not just the proportion
Forecast and pipeline reporting
Examples: "New opportunities per month", "Revenue per account manager", "Forecast by phase (weighted)"
Column / Bucket View
Displays records as cards in vertical columns, one column per segment. Users can drag and drop cards between columns to update a record's status directly.
Best for:
Process management where users move records through stages
Visual pipeline management (Kanban-style)
Situations where moving a card is the update
Examples: "Sales pipeline by phase", "Support tickets by status", "Projects by stage"
Comparison
Displays two periods side by side so you can compare values over time. This type is only available when you segment on a date field.
Best for:
Year-over-year or period-over-period comparisons
Tracking whether performance is improving or declining relative to a previous period
Revenue, opportunities won, or any measurable outcome with a date dimension
Examples: "Revenue per month in 2026 vs. 2025", "New customers this quarter vs. last quarter", "Opportunities won this year vs. last year"
How to access this type: When configuring your widget, add segmentation on a date field — for example, the invoice date, the close date of an opportunity, or the creation date of a record. Once a date field is selected as your segmentation, the Comparison type becomes available in the display type selector. If a date field is not selected this display type won't appear as an option.
Note: The date field must be consistently filled in for the comparison to be meaningful. If your team doesn't always complete the relevant date field, gaps in the data will skew the results.
Quick Reference
Widget type | Best question to answer | Avoid when |
List | "What records need attention?" | You want" a summary, not a list of items |
Tiles | "How many records are in each group?" | There are more than 8 segments |
Pie chart | "What share of the total does each group represent?" | There are more than 5 segments |
Bar chart | "How do values compare across categories or over time?" | You only have 2–3 data points |
Column / Bucket | "Where are my records in the process?" | Users don't need to move records between stages |
Comparison | "How does this period compare to the same period last year?" | You are not segmenting on a date field |
A Note on Segmentation
All display types except "List" use segmentation — grouping records by a chosen field. Segmentation is only meaningful if the underlying data is consistently filled in. Before building a widget segmented by Owner, Phase, or Label, check whether your team reliably completes that field. A widget based on incomplete data gives misleading results and erodes trust in the dashboard.
Quick Summary
By the end of this article, you know what each of Tribe's six widget display types does and when to use it. List surfaces individual records that need attention. Tiles and Pie Chart show distributions — Tiles by count, Pie Chart by proportion. Bar Chart compares values across categories or over time. Column / Bucket View supports process management through drag-and-drop. Comparison lets you measure performance against a previous period, provided you segment on a date field. Whichever type you choose, the widget is only as reliable as the data behind it — consistent field completion is what makes segmentation meaningful.